Sleeping train passenger relieved of iPad

A 27-year-old Chicago man told police he fell asleep on the Blue Line on his way to work at Loyola Hospital from Chicago around 8 a.m. May 23. He said when he woke at the final stop in Forest Park, he noticed a man in a blue coat standing “too close” to him. He told police, feeling something was “not right” he checked his backpack and discovered his iPad mini tablet and case (valued at $550) were missing. He confronted his fellow passenger in the blue coat, who told him a young man had removed the device on the previous stop and then fled on an eastbound train. The victim got onto the next eastbound train to see if he could find the “kid.” When he was unsuccessful, he called police. 

Spice shaker assault

Police were summoned to Angelo O’Leary’s Tavern, 7522 Madison St., at 8:44 p.m. May 23 for a report of a disturbance. An employee at the bar asked a patron to leave because his friend did not have an ID. The patron allegedly hurled a spice shaker at the employee and told him he would “kick his ass after he got off work.” Police arrested the patron and his friend nearby driving in an SUV. The patron told police he had invested 25 cents in a pool game and was annoyed that he had to leave. He was charged with aggravated assault. 

Allegedly drunk driver taken off the streets

Forest Park police got a tip that the driver of a red Nissan Quest leaving the parking lot of Famous Liquors at 4:39 p.m. May 24 was driving erratically.

Police followed the minivan and noted the driver failed to signal several times, then crossed the yellow center line westbound in the 8300 block of Madison Street for between 50–100 feet. Police curbed the car in Maywood. The male driver, age 46, of Maywood failed field sobriety tests and was found to have had his license revoked for DUI convictions in 2007, 2008 and 2012. The man refused to take a Breathalyzer test. He was charged with aggravated driving under the influence and aggravated driving with a revoked license. 

Car hits sub shop

A 27-year old Chicago woman told police she was “not that good of a parker” after her 1998 Nissan Sentra crashed into the wall of Submarine Tender restaurant, 200 Desplaines Ave. around 4:05 a.m. May 25. She also told police she was hungry and wanted to stop for something to eat. She said she had taken Benadryl four hours previously, and denied she had been drinking. Police reported an odor of alcohol coming from her breath and she failed field sobriety tests. After she acknowledged she had “one glass of wine,” she blew a .127 blood alcohol content on a portable Breathalyzer device. She was charged with failure to reduce speed, no proof of insurance and DUI.

Chevy disappears during party

A man told police his 2005 black Chevy Cobalt was removed from the 1000 block of Ferdinand Avenue sometime during the evening of May 25 while he was a guest at a party. He told police he parked his car on the block around 7:30 p.m., threw his ignition key under the floor mat and left the vehicle unlocked. When he left the party, the Chevy was gone.

Underage tobacco stings

A police officer and an undercover youth agent entered the Casa de Puros cigar shop at 7410 Madison St. at 6:39 p.m. May 27. The youth, who was under 18, entered the humidor and selected an “American” cigar and brought it to the counter for purchase. The clerk allegedly did not ask for identification. He told the officer he was a new employee of the establishment and he sold the tobacco because “I thought he was, like, 20.” He was cited for sale of tobacco products to a minor.

The Mobil gas station at 949 Harlem Ave. and a clerk at Tobacco and Snack, 315 B Harlem Ave. were also issued citations for selling the youth agent a pack of Newport cigarettes without asking for ID. 

Burglary to vehicle

A female victim told police she looked out her back window around 2:01 a.m. in the 1000 block of Ferdinand May 29 and saw an illuminated dome light in her vehicle. She also noticed her driver’s side door was ajar and made out the figure of a person inside the car rummaging through the vehicle. Her husband went outside to investigate and a man jumped form the car and fled. The husband pursued the man on foot through rear yards until he waved down a squad car. Police took a 39-year-old Maywood man into custody. The victims told police their car did not reliably lock. Items from the center console, such as sunglasses and paperwork were strewn on the car floor. Police also noted a purple mountain bike left in the alley near the car, which was possibly the alleged burglar’s getaway vehicle. Police charged the man with burglary from a motor vehicle. 

Apartment burglary

A couple returned home from work around 7:19 p.m. May 29 to find their apartment in the 7500 block of Jackson Boulevard ransacked. The front door security chain was torn out of the wall, and the door appeared to have been pried open, police said. Missing from the unit were Dell and HP laptops, a bunch of foreign currency worth $100 and some toiletry items. Estimated loss was around $1,500. 

Red Bull haul halted

Police officers in a squad car parked around 10:10 a.m. May 30 at Circle and Harlem Avenues observed a man exiting the CVS at 7216 Circle Ave. with a CVS basket filled with Red Bull energy drinks, being chased by CVS security personnel. The officer called out to the 51-year-old Chicago man, who promptly dropped all of the items and fled. Police gave chase and the man tripped off the curb at Central Street and Harlem, falling into the street, where he was quickly placed into custody using two pairs of handcuffs.

CVS personnel said he allegedly filled a basket with goodies and fled the store, setting off sensor alarms. Recovered items included 12 boxes of Red Bull, one bottle of Tide laundry soap, one makeup item and playing cards. Total value of the removed items was reported at $138.35. The man was charged with retail theft.

ComEd scam

A restaurant owner told police he received a phone call, purportedly from a “Mr. Conrad” at ComEd, telling him he was behind on his bill and the power to his establishment would be shut off unless he paid $2,400. The owner said he had been contesting a bill, and decided he would pay rather than risk losing power in his restaurant. But Mr. Conrad aroused suspicion when he said he couldn’t take a check or money order, but insisted the owner buy Paypal prepaid cards so he could satisfy the debt over the phone with the card numbers. The man purchased cards at CVS, but went to police when Mr. Conrad continued to call demanding to know when he’d be paid. Police contacted ComEd security, who said they had been getting numerous calls about the scam, based in Nigeria. They told police they believed some records of electrical customers who owed debts may have been hacked. The owner never sent money to the scammer, he told police. 

These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, May 25-29, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anyone named in the report has only been charged with a crime.